The present invention relates to point to multi-point communications systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for terminating a user from a group call in a group communication network.
A class of wireless service intended for quick, efficient, one-to-one or one-to-many (group) communication has existed in various forms for many years. In general, these services have been half-duplex, where a user presses a xe2x80x9cpush-to-talkxe2x80x9d (PTT) button on his phone/radio to initiate speech. Pushing the button either keys his radio, in some implementations, or in a moderated system, where communications occurs via a server of some type, indicates the user""s request for the xe2x80x9cfloor.xe2x80x9d If granted the floor, or talker permission, the user then generally speaks for a few seconds, after which he releases his PTT button, and other speakers can request the floor. Communication is generally from one speaker to a group of listeners, but may be one-to-one. This service has traditionally been used in applications where one person, a xe2x80x9cdispatcher,xe2x80x9d needs to communicate to a group of people, such as field service personnel or taxi drivers, which is where the xe2x80x9cdispatchxe2x80x9d name for the service comes from.
Similar services have been offered on the Internet and are generally known as xe2x80x9cvoice chat.xe2x80x9d These services are usually implemented as personal computer applications that send vocoder frames in Internet protocol (IP) packets, i.e., voice-over-IP (VoIP) service, to a central group chat server, or possibly from client to client in a peer-to-peer service.
A key feature of these services is that communication is quick and spontaneous, usually initiated by simply pressing a PTT button, without going through a typical dialing and ringing sequence. Communication in this type of service is generally very short, with individual talk xe2x80x9cspurtsxe2x80x9d being generally on the order of several seconds, and xe2x80x9cconversationsxe2x80x9d lasting possibly a minute or less.
The time delay between when the user requests the floor and when he receives a positive or negative confirmation from the server that he has the floor and may begin speaking, which is known as the PTT latency, is a critical parameter for half-duplex group communications systems. As mentioned previously, dispatch systems place a priority on short, quick conversations, which makes the service less effective if the PTT latency becomes large.
Existing group communication infrastructures provide limited opportunities for significantly reducing the PTT latency, i.e., actual PTT latency may not be possibly reduced below the time required to re-establish traffic channels within dormant packet-data sessions. Further, talker and listeners traffic channels are brought up in series, because the only mechanism available to begin waking up a dormant group is to wait for the talker""s traffic channel to be re-established to signal the server. Currently, no mechanism exists to send mobile-originated user signaling data on anything other than a traffic channelxe2x80x94a limitation that requires traffic channels to be re-established before any communication between clients and the server can take place.
There is a need, therefore, for mechanisms to reduce both apparent PTT latency experienced by the talker and total time required to re-establish traffic channels for participating mobiles without negatively impacting system capacity, client battery life, or other resources.
In a dispatch model, communication between endpoints takes place within virtual groups wherein the voice of one xe2x80x9ctalkerxe2x80x9d is broadcast to one or more xe2x80x9clistenersxe2x80x9d. A single instance of this type of communication is commonly referred to as a dispatch call or simply a call. A call is an instantiation of a group, which defines the characteristics of the call and is, in essence, a member list with some associated information, such as a group name or group id. A member list is a list of one or more users that are invited to participate in the call.
There is a need for a dispatch model that supports both the chat-room model and the ad-hoc model of group call services. In the chat-room model, the groups are pre-defined, which may be stored on the dispatch server. In the ad-hoc model, however, the groups may be defined and/or modified in real-time.
The disclosed embodiments provide a novel and improved method in a communication device for terminating a member from a group call in a group communication network, which includes receiving an indication from a user who wishes to terminate participation in a group call and sending a request to a server to terminate the user from the group call.
In another aspect of the invention, a computer-readable medium in a communication device embodies a method for terminating a member from a group call in a group communication network, the method including the above-mentioned steps.
In another aspect of the invention, a communication device for terminating a member from a group call in a group communication network includes means for receiving an indication from a user who wishes to terminate participation in a group call and means for sending a request to a server to terminate the user from the group call.
In another aspect of the invention, a communication device for terminating a member from a group call in a group communication network includes a receiver, a transmitter, and a processor communicatively coupled to the receiver and the transmitter. The processor is capable of receiving an indication from a user who wishes to terminate participation in a group call and sending a request to a server to terminate the user from the group call. In one aspect, the communication device is a push-to-talk (PTT) device.
The disclosed embodiments also provide a novel and improved method in a server for terminating a member from a group call in a group communication network, which includes the steps of receiving a request for terminating a user from a group call, terminating the user from the group call, and sending a response indicating that the user is terminated from the group call.
In another aspect of the invention, a computer-readable medium in a server embodies a method for terminating a member from a group call in a group communication network, the method including the above-mentioned steps.
In another aspect of the invention, a server for terminating a member from a group call in a group communication network includes means for receiving a request for terminating a user from a group call, terminating the user from the group call, and sending a response indicating that the user is terminated from the group call.
In another aspect of the invention, a server for terminating a member from a group call in a group communication network includes a receiver, a transmitter, and a processor communicatively coupled to the receiver and the transmitter. The processor is capable of receiving a request for terminating a user from a group call, terminating the user from the group call, and sending a response indicating that the user is terminated from the group call.